Wrestling With Shadows
by Warwolf
Summary: Five years after D-Reaper, Takato has begun a new life in America. Meanwhile, a certain Digimon fumes over his choices, and a certain girl faces her feelings.... all at a time when Takato returns to Japan! Takato/Ruki/Renamon triangle. R&R!


**_Wrestling With Shadows_**   


Chapter One: The Opening Bell   


By Warwolf   


Author's Notes: I'd been toying with this idea for awhile, and unfortunately, it seems the author of _Takato Wong_ beat me to it. But this fic is going to focus much more on this. This fic takes place 5 years after D-Reaper, so going by the Dub ages, Takato would be 18, but I've decided to go with the original ages, so that places him and the others at 15. Except for Shuichon, who would be 9, since according to the original ages, she is I believe only 4. This will start in the present day, and jump from present to the past at times, to give you all some backstory on how and why Takato got where he is. Also, this won't be what you expect, the characters will very likely be OOC due to being older. Of course, I might be wrong about that. I myself have at least some experience with the subject matter at hand, which is more than others can say. (I've been training for about two summers, and have refereed several shows. My actual in-ring debut as a wrestler is probably a way's off though.) Therefore, I can tell you a lot more about the inner workings in this fic than most people who only see what's on the tube every week. 

The usual Key applies: 

_Italics: emphasis_   
**_Bold Italics: Thoughts_**   
------- : World Change (Also to open or close a fic. That's going to be the primary function here.)   
******* : Same world, but scene change.   
+ + + : Change in time (Forward/backward, etc.)   
**_Bold Underlined Italics:_** Extreme emphasis. Can be either thoughts, speech, or what have you. ^.^;;; 

_Underlined Italics_: written/electronically produced comments. 

**Bold Underline:**Sign language (Both human and otherwise) 

New addition to the key! 

**Bold**: Time/place/state/country/event 

Ladies and Gentlemen...... **_LET'S GET READY TO RRRRUMMMMMBLE!!!!!!!_**

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**May 16, 2006. The Tokyo Egg Dome. Tokyo, Japan. Four hours prior to: WWE Raw Is War**

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


"Takato? Hey, where you at man?" Came the voice of Jim Ross. Ross was best known for his character of 'Good ol' J.R.' in his on-camera role as commentator. But behind the scenes, the man was also the senior vice president of talent relations. And at the moment, he was cursing himself for letting the new laws in Japan twist his arms. When he'd heard the kid was only fifteen, he'd told him to wait a few years, then come back and he'd consider hiring him. He knew a lot of wrestlers who'd started out at 15, but he didn't feel comfortable having a 15 year old wrestling in the WWE while continuing his education both during the day with a private tutor and online. But to have done that would have been age discrimination according to the laws of Japan, and since the UN had passed special charters allowing for massive changes in the age when a person could work legally worldwide, he'd had no choice. What really got to him was the fact that the boy was _GOOD._ But he didn't want to deal with a hurt fifteen year old. 13 was the age of consent in japan, and since he was 15, he was more than capable of getting a job according to the new laws instituted by Japan.   
"Right here." Takato replied. The last five years had been good to the one time leader of the Digimon Tamers. Naturally, by now everyone knew who he and the other Tamers had been. They'd had their fifteen minutes of fame as 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes', and being likened to the comic book group that had been called the Avengers. Takato now sported long hair, a little past shoulder length. His green eyes weren't entirely as innocent as they had been in his younger days. The D-Reaper had seen to that in it's invasion of Earth. But he wasn't that unrecognizable to those who'd known him in his younger days.   
"Good. We need to do a run through for your promo, then film the actual interview, for about midway through." Ross said.   
Takato nodded. "I've got Van Dam, right?"   
Ross simply sighed and nodded his reply. Rob Van Dam, better known as RVD to the fans, had taken Takato under his wing in the short time that he had been with the company. Van Dam had been trained in the Japanese style of pro wrestling, and much of it was similar to elements of Lucha Libre, the mexican wrestling style. Takato was trained in the Japanese style, and had thankfully picked up the American version of it fairly quickly. He was swiftly becoming one of the top stars in the ranks of new talent which had just been hired by the WWE. Van Dam, for whatever reason, was determined to help the kid along. Takato and Ross waved to Bob Holly as he jogged past, looking, presumably, for Kurt Angle, his opponent for the night to talk over last minute details for the show.   
"I'm still doing the job, right? Rob and I discussed the run through for the match tonight."   
"Actually..." Ross was reluctant to say it but he had little choice. "Vince decided to change the end of the match. You're going to a draw with him. By count-out."   
Takato looked honestly bewildered, and Ross had to struggle not to laugh. The expression on the teen's face was priceless.   
"Uh...Mr. Ross, much as I appreciate the change...what's the reason for it? I had no problem with jobbing out."   
"No, but it seems Vince does. He's over with Rob discussing it now. Seems he wants to start pushing you for a shot at the European championship next month, and since that's only about two weeks away, he's got very little time in which to build you up as a legitimate threat to the belt."   
Takato blinked, somewhat set at ease. McMahon, he'd learned, never did anything without a legitimate reason. Of course, he fully expected that he would be set to job out to Matt Hardy, who had recently gone heel again and become a second time European Champion, but he had no problem with that. It was, after all, the way you played the game. As Triple H had once said, It's not who wins or who loses, it's how good you can make each other look during the match. Triple H knew from experience. He had, after all, done just about everything in the WWE in his career.   
**_You make me look good, and I'll make you look like a million bucks._**   
****Takato smiled inwardly as that thought flitted across his mind. He remembered hearing that from Chavo Guerrero, when he had dropped by the american wrestling school Takato had been attending. He knew how to play the game, and he knew the business inside and out.   
"Okay. Has V- er, Mr. McMahon decided how he wants the double count-out to go down, or is that up to us?"   
Ross grinned, and was about to reply, when someone beat him to the punch.   
"I'm leaving it up to you and RVD, Tak. And for the last time, call me Vince."   
No need to guess who _that_ voice belonged to. Takato had quickly come to learn that, despite his on-screen character, Vince wasn't as big on ceremony and titles off-camera unless it was in the boardroom. Vince, Jim, and in fact everyone who appeared on WWE shows wanted everyone to feel like they were part of a family.   
That was part of what made Takato both happy and at the same time uncomfortable.   
"Okay uh..Vince. Should I go...talk to Rob now?"   
Vincent Kennedy McMahon nodded, gave the teen a wan smile and motioned him off. As the one time Tamer headed off to find his friend and opponent for the night, Vince's smile faded, and he turned to Jim.   
"You noticed it too, huh?"   
Jim nodded with a sigh. "He's still got a problem talking with either of us as anything more than his employers. His upbringing in Japan is hindering his ability to communicate with a lot of the guys in the upper echelon. I think it's probably something he'll grow out of, but at the moment, he's clinging to it like he was stuck on flypaper."   
"Damn." Vince responded. "I was afraid of that. Ever since that accident, he's been unwilling to come out of his shell too much. I think that was what got to Van Dam as much as his personality and talent did. Hell, the kid even seems to be more like he was a few months back when we first met him, but the minute Rob leaves the room, he starts acting closed off again."   
"Yeah. But can we really fault him for that?"   
"No. I just hope he snaps out of it soon. Jim...I still want him as our European Champion. You think he could take the ball and run with it?"   
"Takato? As the Euro Champion?" Ross considered it for a few moments. "Provided he can get himself out of his shell, I'd say yes. His work on the mic has suffered horribly of late, but if Rob and the boys can get him out of his funk, he'd be kick ass as the European Champion. I say give him the ball and let him run with it if he can. It might snap him out of this."   
"Done." 

********************************************************************************************* 

Not too far away in West Shinjuku, Renamon growled in frustration.   
**_Why? Why can't he stop this damnable madness? I don't want him hurt!_**   
The subject of her thoughts was a certain brown haired, green eyed young man she hadn't seen in nearly 3 and a half years.   
Takato was no longer a Digimon Tamer. Guilmon lived with her and Ruki, and it was becoming obvious that the dinosaurian Virus Type was becoming more and more easily agitated. Human and Digimon relations had opened up not long after the portals had opened up again, and the Tamers' Digimon had been the first allowed to return. But then Takato had made a decision which had stunned everyone.   
Renamon and the others had never entirely gotten over it nor, in the case of Ruki and Renamon, forgiven him. Both harbored crushes on the one time Leader of the Tamers. And both had kept it completely secret from everyone, including each other. Yet amazingly, almost all the Tamers were able to see through Ruki's pretense of being uninterested in Takato. She was only human after all. But nobody, including Ruki, ever suspected Renamon's feelings.   
Which suited her just fine.   
**_He wouldn't have cared. If he gave a damn about any of us at all, he would have stayed! But no! He had to go and chase some absurd dream!_**   
**** Of course, Renamon knew just how powerful Takato's dreams could be. She remembered that night, fighting Lynxmon, when she had felt a strange presence. And glancing away from the Armor type for the merest of moments, she saw him, seemingly floating in mid-air. He seemed as much startled by it as she was, but he was also in awe of what he was seeing.   
She'd passed it off as a strange side effect of the adrenaline rush she got when she was fighting. Yet just scant days later, she encountered the boy again, this time with Guilmon. She hadn't even really noticed him at first. She was concentrating on wiping out Guilmon after all, but then she did see him, as the Dinosaur type had run to the boy wanting to play. She then realized, belatedly, that he had been the same one she'd seen days before. She vaguely registered his statement of his that he had dreamt of Ruki, and ever since, she had been trying to figure out the odd mystery of the reason she and no other had noticed him that night.   
**_He's only a human...granted one with extraordinary psychic talent buried within him if his dream is any indication...but still just a human nonetheless. So why would he manifest in a way that only I could see him? Why not Ruki? After all, SHE loves him too. Perhaps every bit as much as I do...._**   
****That was something else which confused Renamon. All the time she had spent in the human world, she had only had one real goal. Making Ruki happy, sometimes even at the cost of her own happiness. She'd certainly done that in the earliest days of their partnership, and once the two of them had become friends and true partners, it was something she did happily. But when they Matrix Evolved together into Sakuyamon....she wasn't entirely sure of herself anymore. They shared feelings and thoughts, but not completely. They had to want to share thoughts or feelings that weren't on the surface, and they had both hidden their feelings for Takato down _deep_. Ruki buried her feelings for him because she felt it would go against everything she believed she should be, even if she had dropped much of the barrier she had erected to keep people out. Renamon did so because she believed that no matter his kindness, and his respect and love for Digimon as an entire species, that he could never love her in the way she _wanted _him to love her.   
But if there had been any possibility of him returning her feelings, could she have set aside her own heart to keep from breaking Ruki's? 

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**May 16, 2006. The Tokyo Egg Dome. Tokyo, Japan. WWE Raw Is War.**

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Takato smiled, and headed towards the interview staging area. His earlier tapings for the set up for the match later tonight had gone off without a hitch, and now he was going to be interviewed as further buildup for the bout. Of course, given that it was night time in the states, tonight was actually today since they were in his home nation of Japan. He gave Jonathan Coachman a smile as he walked onto the set, and then steeled himself. He also thanked his lucky stars he'd picked up english better than he would have expected to.   
"Takato, we're just a short while away from your match with Rob Van Dam. Any thoughts about what happened earlier tonight?" asked 'The Coach'.   
"As a matter of fact, Coach, I do. You see, Van Dam would have all of these people believe that little skirmish back there had nothing to do with him. You think I don't see through you, Robbie V? You think I don't know mercenaries when I see'em? HELL NO! So tonight, I want you to take that Intercontinental Championship belt, pucker those lips of yours, and KISS IT GOODBYE! You and me, we're gonna go into that ring, and when each of us leaves, the one thing you're gonna hear reverberating through your brain is this! Ladies and Gentlemen, the winner and NEW INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION; Takato Matsuda! You wanted to take me out before the match Robbie? Well, you failed, cause I'm still here, still standing, and still ready to beat the crap out of you! So bring it on, buddy boy. Bring the Rolling Thunder, Bring the Five Star! I don't care what you bring as long as you bring that belt so I can rip it off of you! Coach, what I'm gonna do to Van Dam tonight is gonna make what I did to Chavo seem like a walk in the park!" With that Takato 'stormed' off screen, and the camera winked out, and to his surprise he found himself on the recieving end of a round of applause.   
"Er...what? It's not my birthday already, is it?"   
"No, but that was the best promo you've cut in weeks, man!" Replied RVD, who had taken it upon himself to help the kid learn the ropes of life in the WWE. "Granted it wasn't great, but it was still halfway decent."   
"Thanks, Rob. We ready to give these folks a show or what?!" Takato said, already feeling a bit more like his cheerful old self. This drew another bout of encouraging words and cheers from his friends in the younger ranks, and supportive words from the veterans. Even Vince looked pleased. As was evidenced by the man's words when the call came for the match to start and RVD headed out. He walked over to Takato and grinned.   
"Go give'im hell, kid." 

Takato grinned back.   
"You got it, boss." 

********************************************************************************************* 

Renamon was out for the night. Ruki wasn't surprised in the least. She hated to watch the WWE, but she knew that Guilmon loved it. Both for the fact that his Tamer was part of it, and because he enjoyed the show as a whole. Ruki wouldn't admit to it of course, but she was starting to enjoy the shows herself. It was Takato's last 'gift', a satellite which would enable them to watch american channels, and was paid monthly out of his own salary. Ruki glanced at the other Tamers. They always came by on Mondays and thursdays and sundays to watch WWE programming. It was the only way they could find out what Takato was up to, since he never emailed them anymore. The other Tamers and Digimon were also present. Terriermon grinned as he watched the show. He'd laughed himself sick the first time he'd watched, but from that moment on was a devoted fan. Impmon never really seemed to figure out the concept, but enjoyed the banter between wrestlers. Ai and Mako had been fans for some time, and knew a lot about who was who. Renamon despised the WWE because she was certain that Takato would end up getting hurt. Though she never said it, she harbored fantasies of murdering Vince McMahon for, in her point of view, taking Takato away from them. Ruki tended to agree with the thought that Vince had taken him away, but only in times when she was already pissed off at someone or something . Takato had left on his own, and had seemingly never looked back even once.   
"Hey! You have the popcorn?" Hirokazu shouted to the kitchen.   
"Be out in a minute." Ryo and Kenta replied.   
"Well hurry your asses up. Googlehead's going to be coming up in a few minutes." Ruki put in, determined to get her two cents worth.   
"Betcha Ten to one odds RVD kicks Takato's ass. He's got more experience and he's just a tad crazier." Terriermon quipped just as the other two tamers walked in with several bowls of popcorn. Ruki would have smacked him across the back of his head if they were sitting closer to each other. Calumon, who often came by with Juri giggled as Ruki simply scowled at the dogbunny instead.   
"Quiet down, you two! It's about to start!" Impmon demanded. He was enjoying the show so far, but he was still trying to piece together the whole concept. He knew humans couldn't absorb each other's data. He knew that wrestling was, for the most part, staged, but for the life of him, he just didn't get the point of the whole damned thing. But one thing he did know, was that he _loved _the main events. Maybe that had something to do with the buildup towards them during the entirety of the rest of the show. And since the main event this week featured a Tamer-   
**_FORMER Tamer._** He reminded himself-   
That made this a match not to be missed.   


And somewhere in the world between worlds, something _else_ agreed, and looked on interestedly as well.   


  


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TO BE CONTINUED..... 

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The Unenviable Author's Post-Notes!: This is something, as I said earlier, which I'd been batting around in my head for awhile. Much of the inspiration for this fic comes from the first few pages of a comic I never got to see the entirety of, and which ironically, was produced by the WWF/WWE a few years back. Here's hoping you folks enjoy it. ^.^   


Next Time on Wrestling With Shadows!: Takato's match with RVD goes off without a hitch, and the Ex-Tamer prepares for his program with Matt Hardy. The Tamers discuss recent goings on, and one of the guys gets a crush on someone! And who IS the mysterious something watching Takato? Will Renamon and Ruki ever confront their feelings for Takato? Will they confront each _other_ over their feelings for him? And why _DID _Takato leave all those years ago? Find out some of the answers next time on _Digimon Tamers: Wrestling With Shadows!_   


*At this point Godzilla pops up and waves.* 

Godzilla: Don't forget to Review! ^.^ 


End file.
